To Stage or Not to Stage Your Home for Sale

To stage or not to stage your home, that’s the BIG QUESTION on the minds of many home sellers today.

Seriously? There is no question. You can’t afford NOT to stage your home for sale. In fact, there is no more affordable way to boost the value of your home.

But let’s be clear about what staging actually is. It’s not decorating. It’s not personal. It’s not real life.

Staging is marketing. Staging is dream making. It turns YOUR home into a home that will appeal to a large number of today’s prospective buyers. It turns your home into a show room that incites the imaginations and desires of others. You know, kind of like Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, and West Elm. They set expectations for today’s home buyers.

Sellers who hope to save time or money by not staging their homes nearly always kick themselves later. Their homes languish too long on the market, shown up by the glam competition, losing essential momentum out of the gate.

Competing on the Internet

If you don’t capture the attention of the prospective buyer online, you lose that prospect.

Photos of staged homes are more appealing than photos of unstaged homes.

Staged homes are perceived as well maintained homes, which increases value.

Staged homes often appraise for more. (Appraisers are not automatons. They have the same emotional experience as buyers.)

95% of buyers buy on emotion, specifically their emotional experience as they walk through the home. It’s love at first sight, then the rationalizations kick in that support that split second decision to buy.

Competing in the Home

According to Transformations, buyers spend an average of 6-9 minutes in a vacant home vs 40 minutes in a staged home! The more time they invest in your property, the more likely they are to commit emotionally and financially.

Staged homes typically sell for 7%-10% above list price. On a $300,000 home sale, the seller would net an additional $21,000-$30,000.

Even a $250 staging investment on a home listed for $200,000 will net a sales gain of $2,500.

The cost associated with staging is inconsequential compared to a price reduction. Reductions usually start at $10,000, while staging costs only a fraction of that.

In a study conducted by the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA), 89 unstaged homes remained on the market for 166 days before the owners had them staged. After staging, the homes received their first offers in 32 days and nine of these homes received multiple offers.

In another study conducted by RESA, 359 homes were staged before going on the market. The homes, on average, received an offer within 26 days after being professionally staged and listed. Nearly 70 of those homes received multiple offers.

A 2013 study by RESA found that unstaged homes sit on the market, on average, for 143 days, while these same homes, after staging, sold, on average, in 40 days. When staged FIRST, homes averaged 23 days on the market.

What’s the Portland Metro ROI for Home Staging?

According to Transformations tracking, their Portland, Oregon clients routinely reap ROIs even higher than the national average–up to 15 times the cost of staging OVER ASKING price!

Now, we’re not saying you have to spend super big bucks to refurnish and accessorize every square inch of your property. An experienced stager knows how to get the biggest bang for your buck.

Unless you have the training and experience of a professional designer, it’s best to hire a pro with a solid track record.

Enter home stager extraordinaire, Rebecca Chute, founder and lead designer of Portland-based Transformations, one of Oregon’s most experienced and trusted home staging companies. Since 2003, Transformations has helped sell over $250 million of real estate in the Portland Metro area. Their extraordinary staging gets properties SOLD!

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